Heretofore trailer for transporting boats and water recreation vehicles were of such size and weight that towing them with vehicles such as motorcycles, ATV's, and small cars was not practical. There are hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists who ride the larger touring motorcycle, thousands of ATV owners and untold numbers of small sports car and compact car owners, who are also campers and water sports enthusiasts. Until now, their participation in camping and water recreation has been directed into one or two directions. They would arrive at their lake destinations in their small cars or on their motorcycles and would be at the mercy of marinas for expensive boat or canoe rentals, if available, or they would have to take their full sized cars or pickups to tow their large, heavier trailers to participate in their water recreation.
The present invention allows these persons the freedom of using their most favored vehicle, be it a motorcycle, sports car, or ATV, to tow their canoe or small water vehicle and camping equipment. ATV (all-terrain vehicles) sportsmen use their vehicles to get into unaccessible backwoods areas where other less mobile sportsmen are not present. In many instances, these areas are adjacent to magnificent lakes. The miniboat/camping trailer according to the present invention was designed to be towed by ATV's. Its construction is rugged and agile to go anywhere an ATV can be maneuvered, while carrying the sportman's camping needs as well as his canoe. This trailer is also ideal to be used in its shortened mode when the sportsman is using it only as a utility trailer to transport his camping needs and any wild game he may have killed from these backwoods hunting areas.
This new and innovative miniboat/camping trailer lends itself to the canoeing enthusiasts in that by its design it makes the handling and transporting of the canoe and its associated equipment far easier for the older or infirmed canoeist. The present and most accepted method of transporting a canoe is the "car top carrier". This demands that the canoe be lifted to the top of the car top carrier crossbars, which are approximately five feet or more from the ground. This trailer has its canoe carrying crossbars less than two and one half feet above the ground, thus enabling the canoeist to easily load the canoe without the physical straining of high lifting; and at the same time affording him additional space for carrying associated equipment such as an outboard motor and camping equipment, that car top carriers do not accommodate.
This miniboat/camping trailer also incorporates in its design the feature of a retractable tongue. Most of the foregoing discussion of this trailer assumed the owner would be using the trailer primarily for the transportation of a canoe, small boat, or other water recreational vehicle. However, by the use of the retractable tongue, the owner can shorten the trailer to less than one-half its original length and the trailer becomes a very versatile utility trailer for transporting anything accommodated by its cargo bed. This makes this trailer even more practical for the individual owner.